Expert: Richard Taylor, AIA - 12/6/2006

Question
Hi Richard,
I'm in Georgia. I have a screened-in back porch I want to convert to a glassed-in porch.  The walls are brick for the bottom four feet and then the openings for the screen are about four feet high.  Some of them are about nine feet wide. My question is: what width pieces of glass would be best for this application?  I'll be putting in 2x4 partitions. I was planning on ordering double pane, insulating glass. Is this kind of glass any cheaper if you mostly get stock widths, say two feet?  
I'm planning on nailing a 2x2 on the sides of the 2x4's with the inside edges flush. Then the glass and then molding of some sort on the outside. Any advice will be much appreciated.
Thank you,
Fred

Answer
Fred - thanks for your question!  Hope the weather's a bit warmer there than it is here today.

Generally the cost of window glass grows rapidly as the size increases, partly due to the fabrication costs and partly to transportation.

You might want to compare buying several larger units against more but smaller units.  You might save money with more smaller units.

I would also consider putting actual windows in at least some of the openings which would allow you to open them in cool weather.  If you haven't already, you might get a quote on vinyl windows for the new openings - you might be surprised how inexpensive they are.

As far as the size, since the height is fixed at four feet, I'd suggest dividing the 9 foot openings into three equal widths.  Generally windows look better when they're a little taller than they are wide.  Plus, a 3 x 4 glass isn't too big to haul around (although it will be pretty heavy).

Hope this helps!

Richard Taylor, AIA
www.rtastudio.com
www.rtaplans.com